Yu-gi-oh! Flime
by Yoshi80
Summary: The story of Yuji Nagawa, a young paleontologist that makes an unexpected discovery, leading to many adventures and intense Duels !
1. Chapter 1

Canyon of Rocky Falls, a small canyon similar to the Grand Canyon, but much less deep. It had the particularity of having an unusual high amounts of rocks in the desert it is located in. This place is currently holding excavations, led by a 20 years old paleontologist whose shirt was white with a spiral symbol on it, reminiscent a fossil. He also wore common brown pants, they looked thin, which helps dealing with the temperature of the region. He had short dark brown hair, except on his back, where his hair fell, forming a red spike.

But one day, a small helicopter approached. On board was another young man, but he looked older than the paleontologist, almost 25 years old. He wore a suit and had some hair gel, which made him look like a businessman really out of place on an excavation site. As soon as he got off the helicopter, the latter left as quickly as it came. The man then approached the young paleontologist and said:  
"Yuji Nagawa! My old star! What have you been up to?"

"What do you want, Gus?" responded Yuji, harshly.

"I just want to know why my star duelist left me and ignored everyone for 2 years."

"We had a deal! I was your star duelist until I turned 18 and you allowed me to start my career as a paleontologist. This is what I love. I'm making lots of discoveries and I am about to make the most important right now. I can't go back!"

"Things have changed. You were very popular, and everyone came for your duels. My new star duelist isn't even close to you. People miss you Yuji, and I miss you too…"

A short silence was felt, until Yuji said:  
"Listen, you've been a great friend and all, but…"

"Sir!" a voice came from afar, calling for Yuji. It was one of his assistants.

"What is it?" asked Yuji.

"We found what looks like the entrance of a cave, like you were searching. The thing is, it's covered with huge rocks, and we'll never be able to break them."

"I see. The entrance is covered with rocks. That's why we had trouble locating it, and that probably explains why it was abandoned…"

"If only we had a drill, we could explore that cave in a few weeks…"

"Oh oh oh!" Gus laughed, "Looks like you need money now, and I can help you, if you accept my deal!"

Yuji looked at Gus, with an interested, yet suspicious look.

"All you have to do is duel my new star duelist, Karim. If you win, I'll pay for your drill and any other machine you might need. If you lose, then you'll have to be my new star duelist again, until I say otherwise."

"I'm not sure…" said Yuji, hesitating.

"Come on, it'll be fun! I'm even willing to help you personally with the excavation if you win!"

"Come on, boss!" the assistant said, "We know no one can defeat you!"

Yuji smiled and said "Okay, Gus! We have a deal!"

Gus smiled back, then took a phone from his suit: "Bring him."

As soon as he said that, the same helicopter that brought Gus here came back. This time, another man was on board. He looked around the same age as Yuji, but he was much more muscular than him. You could clearly see his muscles through his thin white tank top. On the contrary, his legs were very frail and barely covered by the green jeans he was wearing.

"So you finally accepted to face me?" he said while getting off the helicopter, "I'll show you who's the best!"

"Listen, I have nothing against you." answered Yuji, "I just need money for my excavations."

"Already scared? Why don't you admit I'm the better duelist already?"

"Okay guys," Gus interrupted, "you'll fight during the duel."

"Fine."

At this moment, all of Yuji's co-workers came to watch the duel that was about to unfold. Karim and Yuji both took their Duel Disks from their pockets and placed themselves at a distance. Duel Disks looked just like smartphones, except they had a hole in it to place the cards. Whenever a Duel was played, duelists would put their cards in the hole and the disk would place them adequately on a blade generated by the device. They also had a touchscreen where they could see the field and read the cards easily. Yuji's disk was dark yellow with an orange blade, while Karim's was purple with a dark blue blade.

"DUEL!"

(Both player's LP: 8000)

"I feel like going second, so I'll let you have the first move." said Karim.

"As you wish. I summon Lightning Spinosaurus!"

A giant dinosaur rose from the ground. He had sharp teeth and round spine made of electricity.  
(Level 4. 1900 ATK)

"I set two cards and end my turn!"

"Typical Yuji", thought Gus, "a powerful monster, yet he is able to protect it. However, I wonder if it'll be enough to put pressure on Karim."

"Pretty weak first turn, for a fan favorite! Let me show you how it's done! I draw! First, I activate my Field Spell: Captivity Aquarium!"

Suddenly, the setting seemed to change. A large pool appeared, covering the entirety of Karim's field, filling it with water. Karim was standing just behind that pool, about to make his play.

"Then, since I have a Field Spell on the field, I can Special Summon my Domesticated Swordfish."

A long red swordfish then appeared in the pool, swimming, then getting close to his duelist, facing the Spinosaurus.  
(Level 5. 1800 ATK)

"Then, I Normal Summon Missile Trout"  
(Level 1. 400 ATK)

"And I use its effect, to destroy the Set card on your left!"

The Set card then appeared and vanished with a sound, as if someone broke a mirror.

"Negate Attack, huh? That's a shame. It could have been useful." said Karim with a grin on his face.

"What are you trying to accomplish?" responded Yuji, "None of your monsters have enough ATK to destroy my Spinosaurus, and you've already used your Normal Summon!"

"That's where you're wrong! When my Captivity Aquarium is on the field, I can Normal Summon two Fish-Type monsters per turn."

Yuji glared at Karim with anticipation.

"Also, I should mention that this guy normally needs three Fish-Type monsters for its Tribute Summon, but my Domesticated Swordfish can count as two Tributes. I Tribute my Missile Trout and my Domesticated Swordfish treated as two monsters and Tribute Summon!  
Legendary whale that none could hunt, deploy your white fins in this aquarium of mine! Appear! Legendary White Whale Koby Mick!"

Both of Karim's monsters vanished as he was calling his monster. Suddenly, a huge splash came out of nowhere that sprayed the field with water. Gus, who was used to it, took out an umbrella and dodged it, but Yuji and anyone else watching the duel got it by the wave. When the water calmed, they saw a whale, even bigger than a normal whale, but entirely white and with a large fin sticking out from behind.  
(Level 10. 3600 ATK)

"Just so you know, the only way you can get rid of it is if you destroy it by battle. Koby Mick! Attack!"

The whale quickly got out of the water, flying towards the dinosaur. At this moment, Yuji stayed calm until the last moment when he shouted:  
"I activate my Quick-Play Spell Card, Shrink! Reducing your monster's size and ATK by half!"  
(Koby Mick's ATK: 3600 - 1800)

The whale shrank in size, only to be devoured by the Spinosaurus voraciously.  
(Karim's LP: 8000 - 7900)

"Your legendary whale is only prey for my Spinosaurus! Also, since it destroyed a monster by battle, I draw a card."

"Not bad." Karim replied, "However, when Koby Mick is destroyed, I can activate its effect. I banish my Domesticated Swordfish, and Koby Mick comes back in Defense!"

There was another splash, exactly like before, except this time, Koby Mick had its fin covering its face, like a shield.  
(Koby Mick: 3200 DEF)

"Then, you take damage equal to half the ATK of the monster I banished, which means 900!"

Koby Mick then slapped its fin on the water, producing a small wave, hitting Yuji.  
(Yuji's LP: 8000 - 7100)

"I end my turn with this. You're pretty good, managing to take my whale's attack. But in the end, I inflicted more damage, and my monster is stronger. I have the advantage there."

"We'll see how that goes!" replied Yuji.

"He's right." thought Gus, "Even though Karim has the most powerful monster, it's Yuji that is dominant here. Those two are really back-to-back, I'm glad I managed to organize a duel between them. I can't wait to see Yuji's power play!"

"It's my turn! I draw! I activate my Spell Card, Protective Instincts! This card destroys my Spinosaurus, then two Normal Monsters take its place. I summon two Light-Bulbodons from my Deck!"

The Spinosaurus then vanished, with the same sound of destruction that was heard before. In its place, two small dinosaurs appeared. They had the form of a Light bulb, and their back even produced a small light.  
(Level 2. 1800 DEF)

"Going for the defensive? I guess my Koby Mick is really that scary."

"That's where you're wrong! Behold! This is my Power Play! I Tribute the two Dinosaur-Type Normal Monsters and Tribute Summon!  
Most feared best of the Cretaceous, transcend evolution itself and stand on your powerful legs! Destroy everything! Destructor Bipedal Ceratosaurus!"

Gus had stars in his eyes. What was in front of him was a giant dinosaur, more ferocious than a Tyrannosaurus, and much taller too! It seemed to have evolved and its body was very human-like, but with powerful claws and sharp teeth that looked ready to destroy anything that was in its way. It looked even bigger than Koby Mick, and ready to destroy it.  
(Level 9. 3400 ATK)

"I activate its effect! Making it gain 1000 ATK for each Defense Position monster on the field."  
(Ceratosaurus' ATK: 3400 - 4400)

"Then I activate my Continuous Spell Card, Hunter's Carnage!" When activated, this card lets me add my Lightning Spinosaurus back to my hand. And now, all my Dinosaurs inflict piercing battle damage!"

"Oh no!" Karim exclaimed, slightly afraid.

"Go my Ceratosaurus! Attack and destroy his giant whale!"

The dinosaur ran with its powerful feet, approaching the defenseless whale, and started to bite it. Soon, the whale was devoured in an explosion that even blew Karim back.  
(Karim's LP: 7900 - 6700)

"I activate Koby Mick's effect again!" Karim reacted quickly, "Banishing Missile Trout and Special Summoning my whale again, then, you take damage!"

The whale reappeared exactly like before, and inflicted its damage again.  
(Yuji's LP: 7100 - 6900)

"I set a card, and it's your move! So, who's the predator now?"

"I gotta admit", replied Karim, still smiling, "you took me by surprise with this move. And it was pretty good. But I'm not done yet! I draw!"

Karim looked at his draw, thinking how to play. "With this card, I can bring back Koby Mick again and again, and power it up continuously. I sure hope he doesn't break this combo."

"Your monster sure is powerful." he said, "But it's still not enough! I switch Koby Mick to Attack Position, then, I activate the effect of my Captivity Aquarium! By discarding a Fish, Koby Mick gains ATK equal to half its ATK. I discard the Captivity Narwhal!"  
(Koby Mick's ATK: 3600 - 4800)

"Go, Koby Mick! Destroy his Ceratosaurus like it destroyed you!"

"I chain my Continuous Trap Card, Primitive Substitute! Now, once per turn, whenever a Dinosaur-Type monster I control would be destroyed, I can destroy another Dinosaur on my field or in my hand instead!"

Koby Mick flew towards the Ceratosaurus with extreme speed. It bit the powerful dinosaur with all its might, but at the last moment, the Lightning Spinosaurus appeared between the gigantic beasts and was destroyed, as if it was nothing.  
(Yuji's LP: 6900 - 6500)

"So you managed to escape destruction, that's pretty good.", Karim commented, annoyed.

"Predators don't become prey that easily. And your whale is just a never-ending meal."

"All right, we'll see who wins in the end! I set a card, and end my turn. At this point, Koby Mick's ATK returns to normal."  
(Koby Mick's ATK: 4800 - 3600)

"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Yuji then looked at his draw, he too was thinking about his play. "Transportodon now? That's not good. At least I can use it as protection for my Ceratosaurus, but I can't just Set it and power it up too."

"Is the predator thinking?" Karim taunted, "Do I put such a pressure on you?"

"My Ceratosaurus attacks!"

Yuji was a bit worried that the Set card was a Trap, even though his dinosaur couldn't be targeted by card effects. But Karim, instead, let his whale be destroyed.  
(Karim's LP: 6700 - 5900)

"Koby Mick's effect activates again! Banishing Captivity Narwhal, coming back, and inflicting damage!"  
(Yuji's LP: 6500 - 5300)

"In Main Phase 2, I activate the effect of my Ceratosaurus. Increasing its ATK by 1000 more! Then I end my turn."  
(Ceratosaurus' ATK: 4400 - 5400)

"At this point, I activate my Continuous Trap Card! Ring of the Sea Monster's Show! This card lets me add a banished Fish to my hand, by discarding a card. I discard my Unshaven Angler, and add back the Domesticated Narwhal."

"Wow!" Gus shouted. He then commented the duel again in his head. "Karim's even got his most powerful loop to increase Koby Mick's power continuously, but Yuji's Ceratosaurus is also very powerful now. The only way I can see Karim winning now is if he draws his other boss monster. But I'm pretty sure that's what Karim has been planning."

"It's my turn! I draw!" Karim then looked at his card and suddenly burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha! You're finished! I just drew my ultimate combo piece!"

Everyone was in shock. Gus even let out a small "Don't tell me… It happened!" Yuji looked unsure about the sudden laughter, despite his attempts at hiding it.

"But first, I'll discard my Captivity Narwhal again to increase Koby Mick's ATK."  
(Koby Mick's ATK: 3600 - 4800)

"Then, I summon my Flight Shrimp!"

A small green shrimp appeared on the field. It had wings and flew over the water, but it was nothing intimidating compared to what has been summoned on the field before.  
(Level 3. 1000 ATK)

"Then I activate its effect. This lets me add one level seven or higher Fish-Type monster from my Deck. I add the Powering Giant Whale Donstro! But I'll discard it immediately for my Ring, and get back Domesticated Swordfish! Then I activate Donstro's effect in the graveyard, banishing the Captivity Narwhal and the Unshaven Angler I discarded earlier, to add back Donstro to my hand! And now, I Special Summon Domesticated Swordfish. And don't forget my second Normal Summon! I Tribute Flight Shrimp and Domesticated Swordfish! Show yourself! Powering Giant Whale Donstro!"

Even though the whale was giant, as big as Koby Mick, its entrance was less spectacular, a huge shadow was seen on the water, and then Donstro took off, standing next to Koby Mick.  
(Level 8. 1400 ATK)

"1400 ATK?" Yuji wondered, "That's it?"

"Don't let your guard down, Yuji!" Gus shouted from the sidelines, "This is one of your greatest challenge ever!"

"Hey! On which side are you?" exclaimed Karim.

"None in particular. It's just, that Koby Mick and Donstro combination, it's never seen before! If Yuji can defeat it, then that means he is the best duelist I ever met, and you don't even have the quarter of his talent!"

"Gus…" Yuji said quietly, smiling.

"Well I don't think so! When Donstro is on the field, all Fish-Type monsters gain 1500 ATK!"  
(Donstro's ATK: 1400 - 2900)  
(Koby Mick's ATK: 4800 - 6300)

"Go, Koby Mick! Attack and destroy this puny Dinosaur!"

"You won't destroy it! You're forgetting my Primitive Substitute! I destroy the Transportodon in my hand instead!"

Once again, as Koby Mick was about to destroy Yuji's Ceratosaurus, a Dinosaur appeared from nowhere and is destroyed in its place. This time, it was a pretty big dinosaur with a flat back that intercepted the blow.  
(Yuji's LP: 5300 - 4400)

"But there's more to it! A monster Tribute Summoned using Flight Shrimp can attack directly during the turn it is summoned! Go, Donstro! Attack that past star directly!"

The huge whale suddenly flew towards the Ceratosaurus, only to pass right next to it, charging straight to Yuji. The impact made him slide on the ground from the force, but he still manages to hold it out.  
(Yuji's LP: 4400 - 1500)

"Well I guess you still have a turn. But it's pretty much hopeless at this point. You have no cards in your hand. Your Dinosaur can't power up enough so that you'll win. And if you ever try to destroy Donstro, I can just banish the Swordfish in my grave to prevent that. I end my turn now. At this point, Koby Mick's attack boost from the Aquarium disappears."  
(Koby Mick's ATK: 6300 - 5100)

"Go on! Show me what you can do!"

"Well, I pretty much need an army of dinosaurs now. I have to, else, we may never discover what's inside that cave.", Yuji thought, "This is the most important draw of my life…"

"I draw!"

Yuji looked at his card. Everyone was tense, trying to catch Yuji's reaction to this destiny draw. After thinking for a bit, Yuji smiled. It was already clear in Gus' head: Yuji drew a card that saved the Duel.

"I activate the Spell Card: Prehistoric Gathering! I pay 1000 Life Points."  
(Yuji's LP: 1500 - 500)

"And now I summon all the Dinosaurs in my graveyard in Defense Position!"

"What?" Karim shouted in surprise as the four dinosaurs appeared on the field, around the Ceratosaurus. It looked more like a castle wall from his point of view, but he knew that thing had really sharp teeth.

"I activate the effect of my Ceratosaurus! Gaining 1000 ATK for each Defense Position monster on the field. And there are four now!"  
(Ceratosaurus' ATK: 5400 - 9400)

"Wow, that's a lot! If he attacks Dontro, even if it isn't destroyed, I'll take 6500 damage, I can't take that!"

"Exactly! Now, Destructor Bipedal Ceratosaurus! Attack Donstro, and wipe away the rest of his Life Points! Evolution's Final Crush!"

The Ceratosaurus started running towards the giant whale, the ground shaking with every step. There was nothing it could do, even if it tried to use its fin as a shield. The claws and teeth of the Dinosaur were just too powerful. His bite produced a big explosion, which hit Karim at full power!  
(Karim's LP: 5900 - 0)

Both whales disappeared from the field with a destruction effect, then the pool and all dinosaurs vanished, returning the surroundings to the plain rocky canyon it was. Yuji's Duel Disk showed the word "WIN" written in yellow before turning off. Karim's did the same, except it wrote a red "LOSE". Karim, Gus and Yuji then regrouped.

"Wow, you sure got me!" said Karim, "It hurts, but I have to admit you're really better than me."

"You're really good too. I've never felt so tense during a duel! I think you have a great future in the pro duelist circuit."

"Thanks man. I'll go train to one day get to your level. Do you come with me, boss?"  
Gus shook his head. "I promised to help Yuji with his excavations, I'll stay here."

"Are you sure?" Yuji asked, "You really don't have to."

"I've taken my decision."

"Okay", said Karim while leaving, "I'll find another manager. Don't worry, I'll be fine. After all, I am the Great Karim, everyone wants to work with me!"

"So." Gus said, "Do you have anywhere I could live?"

"You can sleep in my cabin, I have a free room there. So it'll be just like old times."

Yuji smiled, and Gus smiled back and repeated: "It'll be just like old times… Besides, I can make lots of money by selling whatever's in this cave."

"You're not selling my discoveries, you greedy!"

They then left to get some rest while laughing, being happy to reunite after these years.


	2. Chapter 2

It has been three weeks since Yuji's team has started to dig in the cave hidden by rocks. As they were searching for information about this cave's meaning for ancient civilization, excavations progressed at a slow pace, but they were soon approaching a conclusion. Yuji assembled all of his co-workers, including his old friend Gus, and started his weekly report. While has was talking, he showed pictures to illustrate his presentation:

"So, first, let's recap everything we found during the last 3 weeks. Thanks to our friends working in geology, we can say that this cave has been sealed approximately 1500 years ago. At this point, the civilization living here was still prosperous and wouldn't start to decline until 1000 years later. Which means that this cave was deliberately sealed, for unknown reasons. The fact that no one noticed this cave in the past is not surprising, considering even we, with our technology, had trouble locating it. We have spent the last two weeks digging a path in this cave so that we can navigate inside it safely. My old friend Gus even installed light and thought about installing cameras too, that way we don't miss anything. I think it's hard to miss something in a tunnel that has just rocks in it, but Gus paid and installed the cameras himself, and he's even monitoring them, so it's a free security. Anyways, that leads to what we discovered this week. This Monday, we opened a crack in the wall that broke easily. What we discovered was a huge empty room with a high ceiling. On the other end of the room was a stone door, which we first considered to be the entrance to the room, but after further examination, I'm thinking otherwise. Just today, I was searching for fossils in that cave. I thought there was a relation with an undiscovered dinosaur, which would have been sealed in this cave, so I started cleaning the place of all residual dirt. Instead, I discovered a statue encased in the wall. Just next to it, there was a plate with inscriptions written on it. The odd part about that plate, is that the inscriptions are in modern English. At the time, the English language didn't even exist. It is as if we were supposed to read it! It reads: "Whoever has the key to open the Flime Gate may face the Stone Guardian in a trial. Unworthy opponents will suffer the wrath of the Flime." As you noticed, the word "Flime" is repeated twice, but this word never appeared in any historical report before, so it's completely unknown. Next week, we'll start searching for information about "Flime", we'll probably find more about it in this room, it can't be completely empty. For now, just enjoy your week-end, and we'll see you on Monday!"

After this report, all of Yuji's coworkers starting going their own way, going back home as part of their daily lives. Only Yuji and Gus stayed here because they lived in a cabin that Yuji set up in the canyon. Inside, you could see that it was Yuji's workplace, lots of papers all over the place, with various historical information about this place. It could clearly be seen that Gus had invaded the place. He had set up 5 TV Screens to monitor the cave, and his room had a drawer filled with suits, all identical to the one Gus was wearing. Yuji tried to offer him suitable clothes for excavations, but Gus always declined by saying things like:  
"No suits is not cool! I need to stay cool at all times!"

As it was starting to get late, Yuji put on a sleeveless brown jacket that went with his pants. It was so he wouldn't catch a cold if he ever went out at night. The both of them then installed comfortably in the cabin, they grabbed a drink and started talking about the discovery. They were in different rooms but still could talk to each other. Gus was looking at his screens as they talked.

"So, Gus. What do you think is Flime? And what do you think is behind that gate?"

"I bet there's a huge treasure inside that'll make me rich!"

"Always thinking about money! The Mayas could have sealed a dinosaur inside so it doesn't wreak havoc to their people."

"A dinosaur? 1500 years ago? Ha ha! Don't hope too much, my friend!"

"Hey, a man can dream. Besides, what else could be so dangerous so that it needs to be sealed and guarded?"

"Is that statue really a guard though? Do you think it'll suddenly animate if you get the key?"

"Maybe. I mean, the statue doesn't carry any weapon, there's something tricky with it. Maybe the trial mentioned on the plate is actually a duel against that statue!"

"A duel against a statue made of rocks? You're getting ridiculous now… Huh? What's that?"

"What?"

"Wow! What a cutie!"

"Are you watching some weird anime again?"

"No. A cute girl just appeared on camera two."

Yuji got up and went to Gus' screens to see what he was talking about.

"Camera two? But that's inside the cave, there's no way someone got inside without you noticing on camera one!"

Yuji couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was indeed a young woman inside the cave, probably close to 18 years old. Her outfit was not exactly fitting for being in the middle of the desert. It looked like she was just coming from high school. She wore a white tank top with a dark blue jacket, which she kept open. She also had a pink skirt and white stockings covering most of her legs. Her shoes looked like they were made to be comfortable to walk on a street, but not in a cave. She had her Duel Disk attached to her arm which had a black body.

"That's weird." Yuji wondered, "How did she get there?"

"I don't know. What I saw was a blue thing appearing out of nowhere, then it disappeared and that girl was just there."

The woman looked at her surroundings. Seeing the entrance to the cave, she decided to go to the opposite direction.

"This is bad. At this distance, she saw the entrance, so that means she is deliberately going towards the Flime Gate!"

"Why is that a bad thing?" Gus asked.

"Because that means she knows its utility, and I'm not there to see it with my own eyes! Quick! We must catch up!"

"Do we really have to run this late?"

"Yes we do! Come on! Don't leave me alone!"

Gus got up while still complaining, and they both got out of their cabin. And Yuji started running towards the cave, with Gus following behind even though he was not fit for running. Meanwhile, the young woman was still advancing in the cave. When she got inside the Gate's room, she stopped for a second and exclaimed:  
"The Flime Gate! I found it!"

She then started running towards it, but as she got to the middle of the ground, there was a white glow coming from her Duel Disk, and the earth started shaking, which caused her to stop again. The Stone Guardian's eyes suddenly opened, and got out of the wall. What Yuji hadn't seen when he discovered this statue, is that it had a Duel Disk attached to its right arm, and thus was still covered in dirt, and let out a cloud of dirt when the statue left the wall. At this moment, Yuji and Gus were in the middle of the cave and they felt the earth shaking.

"What's happening?" Gus shouted, afraid of the situation.

"Looks like I was right! This girl must have found the Flime Gate! Quick! We need to know what it does!"

As the earth stopped shaking, they started running again, worried about what they'll find behind the Gate. At the same time, the Stone Guardian started walking towards the Gate, standing in front of it, pointing his Duel Disk towards the young woman, as if he wanted to start a Duel. An emotionless voice came out of it, even though its mouth couldn't move, it was the voice of a man, very deep.  
"You have the key to open the Flime Gate. Now face my trial or you will be trapped in this cave for all eternity, with no opportunity of opening the Flime Gate."

"So, it really is like that! Fine! I won't lose against a stupid statue!"

The girl then turned her Duel Disk on, revealing a pink blade, which was the same pink as her skirt. She faced the Stone Guardian with a determined look on her face.

"DUEL!"  
(Both player's LP: 8000)  
"Your trial begins now. I Set one monster and three cards face-down, and end my turn."

"I see" she thought, "It's really there to defend this Gate. But I'll destroy his defenses!"  
"It's my turn! Draw! I Summon Kawaii Foxy!"

The monster called by the woman then appeared on the field. It was a little fox with beautiful orange fur. It stood on its legs and winked at its opponent.  
(Level 3. 800 ATK)  
Even though that monster looked more cute than intimidating, the Stone Guardian had no reaction about that.

"Then, I activate the Trap Card, Legacy of the Fox Lady! Since the only monster I control is my Kawaii Foxy, I can activate it from my hand. And it Special Summons 3 Baby Fox Tokens, but I won't be able to Tribute them."

At this moment, 3 fox cubs spawned on the field next to the Kawaii Foxy, curled up on themselves, they looked even smaller than real fox cubs and even cuter too.  
(Level 1. 0 DEF)

"And now, with the Beast-Type Kawaii Foxy and the three Beast-Types Baby Fox Tokens, I download!"  
As she called her monsters, they disappeared leaving blue digital-like rectangles around them, those rectangles soon assembled together.  
"Digital beast of paralyzing lasers, come to my help and bring your justice to the world! Link Summon! Appear, Link 4! Montoya, Laser-Shocking Fox-Lady!"

As the digital rectangles disappeared, they revealed a woman with Fox-Like facial features and the same orange fur as the Kawaii Foxy. That monster wore a jeans miniskirt along with thigh-high boots, along with a half-closed sleeveless jeans jacket. She had short blue hair and even wore a bit of make-up. She carried two electric pistols in her hands, and was pointing them towards the opponent. She stood slightly in front of where the Kawaii Foxy was, and diagonally behind her, two dark blue rectangles drew themselves, as if they were marking zones.

"When Montoya is Link Summoned, I can target one card on the field, return it to the hand, and Special Summon a Kawaii Foxy from my hand or graveyard. I target the card in the center of your backrow."

"Your attitude is foolish. I chain all of my Trap Cards, Rock Bombardment. Each one of them allows me to send one Rock-Type monster from my Deck to the graveyard and inflict 500 damage. I send my three Living Rocks."

As the Stone Guardian's Trap Cards were glowing, three small rocks fell on the young woman. She was hurt by the impact but didn't show any emotion about it. She still seemed to have a strong will to fight and wouldn't stop at such minor damage.  
(Young woman: 8000 - 7500 - 7000 - 6500 LP)

"As no cards were returned to the hand, I can't Special Summon by Montoya's effect. But it's not a big deal. Now your Trap Cards can't stop me from attacking! Go, Montoya! Attack this Set monster!"

Montoya ran towards the Set monster with great agility, flipping it face-up. It was a human statue, just like the one dueling, but this one had a spear and a shield, and kneeled down with its shield protecting it from attacks. Montoya then pointed her shock pistols at it and fired, but the fire bullets didn't move the statue at all, and Montoya returned to her initial place.

"As I have two Living Rocks in my graveyard, my Stone Statue Protector cannot be destroyed by battle."

The young woman looked annoyed that her attack couldn't go through the Stone Guardian's defenses, but quickly continued her play.

"I Set a card face-down and end my turn."

"The second act of your trial begins now. I draw. I switch the Stone Statue Protector to attack position. As there is three Living Rocks in my graveyard, it gains attack equal to its defense."  
(Stone Statue Protector: 0 - 2100 ATK)  
"Then, I activate the Equip Spell Card: Magnum Shield, and equip it to Stone Statue Protector. As it is in attack position, its attack increases by its original defense."  
(Stone Statue Protector: 2100 - 4200 ATK)  
As the Stone Statue got up, spear in hand, it started to glow with a brown aura, indicating that it got more powerful. After that, a red and yellow shield suddenly replaced the rocky one it had, and that made it glow again. The young woman looked bothered by the fact that the Stone Guardian managed to get a monster from 0 to 4200 attack points easily, but was still ready to endure it.

"Stone Statue Protector attacks Montoya, Laser-Shocking Fox-Lady."

The Stone Statue then slowly walked up to Montoya. It stood menacingly before her before suddenly hitting her with its shield, causing Montoya to be destroyed, with a huge explosion coming for the young woman.  
(Young woman: 6500 - 5100 LP)  
As Montoya was removed from the field, the zones that glowed returned to their initial state.

"You need to be more careful. I Set a card and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!"

As the young woman looked at her hand, she suddenly heard a voice coming from behind her.

"Stop! What is happening here?" Yuji shouted as he entered the room.

"Go away!" the young woman responded harshly.

"No, answer me! Why has the Stone Guardian moved? And how is it dueling? And why? I need answers!"

"Who even are you?"

"No, who are YOU?" Gus asked, being slower than Yuji he just entered the room. "This is Yuji Nagawa, he is the one who discovered the cave, along with the Flime Gate and the Stone Guardian. And I am his friend, Gus, we deserve answers!"

"Whoever you might be, this is my fight! Get out of here, things are dangerous around here!"

"I refuse." Responded Yuji. "If you don't want to tell us anything, I'll just observe the place and what is going on and deduce it. Could you at least tell us your name?"

"Aya." She answered reluctantly.

Gus suddenly got close to her and looked at her up close.  
"And what does such a good-looking young lady do in this kind of place?"

Aya, surprised at this question, punched Gus on his chin, knocking him back.

"Stop flirting with me, you weirdo! I'm only 17!"

"Gus, stop goofing around and watch this. The Stone Guardian awakened, and he has a primitive Duel Disk! He doesn't seem to have any card in its hand, and I can't see its Deck, I can't tell if the cards also made of rocks. But that means the trial mentioned really IS a duel. Hey, Gus! Who's ridiculous now? Aya, did you have some kind of key?"

"You have a sharp sense of deduction, I see. I do have a key to awaken it. However, I can't tell you about its nature."

Yuji laughed a bit. "That's fine." He then got to the side of the room, leaning on a wall, he could clearly see everything happening in the duel. Gus then joined him, his face still hurt.

"Do you intend on watching this without saying a word?" he said.

"That girl clearly knows more about the Flime Gate than us. We can only watch this duel and learn by doing so."

"Though, I'm not sure if this is a good idea…" Gus was really worried about the situation.

"Don't worry. Aya has four cards in her hand and a Set card on her field, and her only threat is another Set card, that shouldn't be too hard for her."

"You should not get distracted by other conflicts." The Stone Guardian said to Aya.

"It can talk?" Gus asked, surprised.

"It's not surprising." Yuji responded, "If they are dueling, every player needs to be able to communicate about their cards without the opponent having to read. Also, look at its Equip Card."

"It's Magnum Shield!" Gus noticed, "It's a really common card, even I could buy it for really cheap. What do you think it means?"

"This means that the Stone Guardian isn't from 1500 years ago, else he wouldn't have knowledge about our cards and only have ancient, unknown cards."

"Guys!" Aya shouted at Yuji and Gus, "Are you sure you want to watch? What you'll see might blow your minds."

"We are here to stay!" responded Yuji, "Show us everything you got!"

"Okay then. I activate my Continuous Trap Card: Call of the Haunted! Montoya is Summoned back from my Graveyard!"

Montoya then reappeared on the field, once again pointing her pistols at the statue. She appeared almost at the same place at before, but she was now on the same level Kawaii Foxy was when it was on the field. However, the same two zones as before started glowing, but Yuji and Gus looked at that for the first time.

"Wow, her monster is as good-looking as her!" Gus said.

"Sometimes, you're really creepy, Gus." Yuji responded, "I wonder what those two glowing areas are for."

"Now I Summon Flaming Fox-Lady!"

Another woman then appeared on the field, on Montoya's left and in the glowing zone. She had once again facial foxlike features, but her fur was almost completely on fire, giving it a fiery combination as clothes.  
(Level 4. 1400 ATK)

"When Flaming Fox-Lady is Summoned, I can Special Summon my Kawaii Foxy from my graveyard!"

The cute fox then returned to the field, on the other glowing zone, but this time it was sitting down, frightened by the powerful statue.  
(600 DEF)

"Then I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Fox-Lady's Potential! This card has three effects and allows me to activate one of them once per turn. I activate its second effect, targeting Flaming Fox-Lady, making her into a Tuner, and allowing me to Synchro Summon immediately!"

Yuji and Gus looked at each other with interrogative looks on their face and asked at the same time.

"Tuner? Synchro Summon? What's that?"

"With the Level 3 Kawaii Foxy, and the Level 4 Flaming Fox-Lady, I am tuning!  
Ancient deity of war, come to my help and burn the field to ashes! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Tamamo, Land-Burning Fox-Lady!"

As Aya was calling her monsters, she started to clench her fist and slowly pulling it back. At the same time, Flaming Fox-Lady and Kawaii Foxy started flying, with Flaming Fox-Lady turning into four green circles, which engulfed Kawaii Foxy. Three stars were seen inside it, which soon started to be the only things remaining from this fox. Aya had some sort of light coming from her Duel Disk and gathering at her fist. As she called the Synchro Summon, the light disappeared with a small clacking sound, and the three stars suddenly became a beam of light that engulfed the green circles. Tamamo then emerged of this beam of light and lowered herself into the zone where Flaming Fox-Lady stood just before. She looked like a Samurai with a fox-head, and orange fur. She had grey metal armor covering most of her body, and wielded two katanas whose blades were completely on fire.  
(Level 7. 2500 ATK)

"It's awesome!" Gus commented, "I've never seen something like that before!"

"There's more." Yuji added, "Noticed the energy on her fist? It looked like it was her own power being added to that summon. That's fascinating. How is that even possible? I have to know!"

Aya still continued the duel, not noticing their discussion:  
"When Tamamo is Synchro Summoned, I can target one card on the field, return it to the hand, and Special Summon a Kawaii Foxy from my hand or Graveyard. I target my own Fox-Lady's Potential."

"Why is she returning her own cards? Isn't that counterproductive?" Gus wondered as Fox-Lady's Potential returned to Aya's hand and Kawaii Foxy returned once again to the field, to the same glowing zone as it was before.

"Then, I activate Fox-Lady's Potential again! Since it returned to my hand, I can activate one of its effects again. And I now activate its first effect! I target the Flaming Fox-Lady in my Graveyard, which is added to my hand, and I am allowed to Fusion Summon immediately!"

Yuji and Gus once again were amazed by what they heard.

"She combines her monsters differently now!" Gus was in shock, as he had never seen such a technique.

"There's really no stopping her!" Yuji was excited about all this new stuff and just wished to know more.

"With the Kawaii Foxy on my field, and the Flaming Fox-Lady in my hand, I Fusion!  
Mischievous beast, combine with the fiery spirit and let your illusions come to my help! Fusion Summon! Reveal yourself! Kumiho, Illusion-Inducing Fox-Lady!"

Once again, as she called her monsters, Aya started doing a pose, and light started emitting from her Duel Disk once again. This time, Aya held out her arms sideways, then started raising them symmetrically, until her hands clasped above her head. At the same time, her monsters started flying and stood together, turning into red and orange energy. As Aya called the Summon, the monster's energy starting merging in a spiral pattern, then the same clacking sound was heard, and the light stopped. Coming from the monster's energy was another Fox-like lady. She wore a white kimono covering her almost entirely, only her head and hands were seen. She had orange fur and her black hair tied up in a hair bun. She had two unfolded paper fans in her hand. She stood on the second glowing zone, next to Montoya.  
(Level 8. 2600 ATK)

"Kumiho's effect then activates! I'm sure you already guessed what it is. I return Fox-Lady's Potential to my hand, and Special Summon Kawaii Foxy from my graveyard!"

The Spell card once again vanished from the field and returned to the hand, with the small fox returning from the graveyard. This time, it sat next to Tamamo.

"She returned her own card to the hand again" Gus commented, "That means…"

"There is more coming!" Yuji said, unable to contain his enthusiasm.

"I activate Fox-Lady's potential a third time! This allows me to activate its third effect! I target the Flaming Fox-Lady in my graveyard, and the Kawaii Foxy on my field! Now Flaming Fox-Lady is Special Summoned in Defense Position! Then, both targeted monsters' level become equal to double the level of Kawaii Foxy, meaning 6!"

Flaming Fox-Lady returned once again to the field, this time kneeling down. Then, it and Kawaii Foxy started glowing, as their levels was changing.  
(Flaming Fox-Lady: Level 4 - Level 6)  
(Kawaii Foxy: Level 3 - Level 6)

"Then, I can Xyz Summon immediately! With the Level 6 Kawaii Foxy and Flaming Fox-Lady, I overlay!  
Commander of many nations, come to my help and tear your enemies apart! Xyz Summon! Appear, Rank 6! Kuma, Crowd-Tricking Fox-Lady!"

As Aya were calling her monster, she started doing another pose, and her Duel Disk started emitting light again. She held out her arms in front of her in a V shape, her left hand facing upwards, and her right hand facing downwards. She starting rotating her left hand downwards and her right hand upwards, until they were completely aligned in front of her. At this moment, her monsters started overflowing with a red and orange energy, and a galaxy-like portal opened in the middle of the field, with the monsters going right through it. She then clapped her hands, which caused the same clacking sound as before, and energy overflew from the galaxy spiral. Coming from this energy was another fox woman, she wore a very formal dark blue dress, and only had a black book in her right hand, which she kept open. She wore small glasses, which she adjusted with her left hand. Two red orbs were floating all around her in a cross pattern.  
(Rank 6. 2700 ATK)

"Rank?" Gus asked, "Isn't it normally called Level?"

"Her effect…" Yuji thought, "It must be the same as the other ones? Is there something more coming?"

"At this moment, the effect of Kuma activates. Like the other, I can return one card on the field to the hand. And I choose your Magnum Shield!"

"You have a great power." The Stone Guardian finally reacted, "However. It is used inappropriately. I activate the face-down card in response to your effect. The Unarmed Golem. It allows me to return an Equip Spell Card to the hand. Then I add a Level five or higher Warrior or Rock-Type monster with an attack power of zero from my Deck to my hand. I add Stone Golem Protector. As Magnum Shield left the field, its effect does not apply anymore."  
(Stone Statue Protector: 4200 - 2100 ATK)

"I activate Kuma's other effect! By detaching an Xyz Material, I can take a "Fox-Lady" Trap card from my Deck and either add it to my hand or send it to the graveyard. I add Illusion of the Fox-Lady to my hand!"

One of the red orbs started going inside Kuma's book and disappeared in a flash. After that, Aya's Deck was shuffled, with a card sticking out of it, which she added to her hand.

"Then, I activate Kumiho's effect! By discarding a Fox-Lady Trap Card, all Fox-Lady monsters will gain 800 ATK! I discard Illusion of the Fox-Lady!"

As Aya sent her card to the graveyard, Kumiho started glowing with a white energy, which started spraying through all Fox-Ladies on the field.  
(Tamamo: 2500 - 3300 ATK)  
(Kumiho: 2600 - 3400 ATK)  
(Kuma: 2700 - 3500 ATK)  
(Montoya: 2800 - 3600 ATK)

"I activate Tamamo's effect! By banishing Legacy of the Fox-Lady from my Graveyard, I can destroy a card you control! And you only control your statue!"

"Foolish. Have you forgotten that it cannot be destroyed?"

At this moment, Tamamo's swords begin to light, producing fire. She slashed the air, which projected the fire across the field, and hitting the Statue. However, no damage was done to it.

"This is weird." Yuji said calmly.

"You mean, weirder than all of her summons?" Gus replied.

"Yes. Even though she seems to have a great power, she makes a few mistakes. Noticed how she targeted Magnum Shield earlier? She could have targeted the monster instead, and that would have left the Stone Guardian with no protection. She could have won the Duel this turn. And now she's stuck with an indestructible monster blocking her."

"I see. She doesn't seem to be hesitant about her plays though. Her summons looked cool, and her monsters even have very powerful effect."

"That's true. I think this Duel means more to her than we could imagine. She can't afford to lose it, and thus she doesn't show any weakness. However, deep inside, she must be very stressed out."

"And now, it is finally time!" Aya shouted, "Battle! All my monsters attack!"

In turns, all the Fox-Ladies attacked the Statue. First, Tamamo ran to it and slashed it twice with her swords before coming back to her zone. The Statue looked barely scratched by it, but the impact got to the Stone Guardian, which stood still while taking the hit. After that, Kumiho, threw her paper fans, which hit the statue before coming back to her like a boomerang. Like before, the Statue and the Guardian didn't move from the impact. Then, Kuma started gathering energy in her book before firing a red energy beam towards her enemy. The ball split in two as it hit the Statue, only to continue their way to hit the Guardian. Finally, Montoya ran close to the statue and shoot it again. This time, the explosion caused from the impact bounced and got to the Stone Guardian.  
(Stone Guardian: 8000 - 6800 - 5500 - 4100 - 2600 LP)

"I end my turn with this."

"The next step begins. I draw. I activate the Spell Card: "Boulder's Cards". This card allows me to banish any number of "Living Rock" from my hand or Graveyard, then draw cards equal to the number of "Living Rock" I have banished. I banish the three from my Graveyard, and draw three cards. As there are no "Living Rock" in my Graveyard, Stone Statue Protector loses its effect."  
(Stone Statue Protector: 2100 - 0 ATK)

"This Guardian has some tricks up its sleeve!" Gus commented, "At the begging of the last turn, it had no card in hand. And now, it has five!"

"It is indeed powerful. However, it banished its Living Rocks, which were providing this monster's power." Yuji added.

"I Tribute Stone Guardian Protector, and Set a monster. Then, I activate Burial from a Different Dimension. The three Living Rocks that I banished return to my Graveyard. I activate the Spell Card: Book of Taiyou. My monster is changed to Attack Position: Stone Golem Protector."

The face-down card flipped itself face-up, and the monster appeared. It was a bigger stone statue, but this one looked much more muscular and was fighting with its bare hands.  
(Level 5. 0 ATK)

"When it is changed from Defense to Attack Position while there are three Living Rocks in the Graveyard, Stone Golem Protector destroys all your cards."

"Montoya's effect prevents that! As there is monster Special Summoned from the Extra Deck at her Link Point, all monsters Special Summoned from the Extra Deck are not destroyed by card effects."

"Montoya herself was not Summoned from the Extra Deck."

The Golem then punched the air, with its fist detaching into four smaller rocks, hitting Aya's monsters. However, Montoya produced a transparent blue shield for the other monsters, before being hit by the rocks herself. At this moment, the glowing zones turned off, but the monsters that were in them stayed there.

"Link Point?" Yuji said, "I guess we arrived too late to see that summon, I'm sure it looked cool!"

"As there are three Living Rocks in my graveyard, Stone Golem Protector gains attack equal to its defense."  
(Stone Golem Protector: 0 - 2400 ATK)  
"Then, I equip Magnum Shield and Magnum Sword to it. As you already know, Magnum Shield makes it gain attack equal to its DEF. Magnum Sword makes it gain ATK to half that amount."

At this moment, the Golem equipped itself with the red and yellow shield in its left hand, then took a sword with a yellow handle and a red blade with its left hand. It then swung the sword in the air, ready for combat.  
(Stone Golem Protector: 2400 - 4800 - 6000 ATK)

"Stone Golem Protector attacks Kumiho, Illusion-Inducing Fox-Lady."

The Golem then started to run towards the Fusion monster. The earth shook a little with every step it took. As it got close to Kumiho, the Golem slashed her with its massive sword. The impact caused an explosion, which hit Aya straight on, with her barely managing to stay in place.  
(Aya: 5100 - 2500 LP)

"At the end of the Battle Phase, Magnum Sword allow me to add one monster from my Deck, as long as its attack is zero. I add Stone Giant Protector. I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn! I draw!"  
Aya then started to think about her plays. "This is bad. This card won't help me for now. Meanwhile, that thing is very powerful, and is only starting to build up. Maybe I can't win this duel after all…"

"Aya!" Yuji shouted, noticing her troubles.

"Huh?"

"Your summons are really impressive, but it looks like you're too focused on using them. You keep staring at the card you drew, but you have 2 others in your hand! Think outside the box and you can win anything!"

"The other cards in my hand…" Aya then looked at them, and rejoiced immediately, "That's it! I've had that since the beginning! I can definitely turn this duel around! Thanks, Yuji, was that it?"

"Yup. Now, show me what you got!"

"All right!"

"Why are you helping her?" Gus asked quietly.

Yuji hesitated a moment, then answered while smiling: "Out of curiosity."

"I activate Kuma's effect! I detach an Xyz Material, and I send Reincarnation of the Fox-Lady from my Deck to the Graveyard!"

Kuma then absorbed the remaining red orb in her book, with once again Aya's Deck shuffling and sticking a card out of it, but this time, Aya sent the card straight to her Graveyard.

"Then, I Summon Illusionary Fox-Lady!"

At this moment, a small white cloud appeared on the field, then quickly started fading away, revealing a slim figure of a woman with foxlike features, she was entirely white, like a ghost, so it was hard to distinguish her other features properly.  
(Level 4. 800 ATK)

"I activate Illusionary Fox-Lady's effect! By Tributing her, I can activate a Fox-Lady Trap card from my hand! I activate Curse of the Fox-Lady!"

At this moment, the Fox-Lady engulfed herself in another white cloud, until she completely disappeared. As the cloud vanished, the monster was nowhere in sight, but in its place was a glowing Trap Card.

"Now, the effect of all other cards on the field are negated!"

Every card on the field then got darker, indicating that they got cursed and their effects were negated. The Golem in particular almost went Black as its own effect, along with its equipment stopped applying.  
(Stone Golem Protector: 6000 - 0 ATK)

"During the turn I activate this effect, I can only attack with my Beast-Type Normal monsters. You'll notice that I have none. However, I activate the effect of Reincarnation of the Fox-Lady in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can Special Summon back Kawaii Foxy in Attack Position!"

Light started emitting from Aya's Duel Disk as her card came back from the Graveyard. On the field, the same light appeared, which revealed the same cute fox as before. It looked even smaller now, in comparison with Kuma and Tamamo still being on the field. It stood up again, winking just like in Aya's first turn.  
(Level 3. 800 ATK)

"Kawaii Foxy! Attack this Golem!"

The cute fox then ran until it got to the Golem's feet, barely being taller than them. It punched the Golem right leg, which immediately made him fall, producing a dust explosion on the Stone Guardian.  
(Stone Guardian: 2600 - 1800 LP)

"I Set a card and end my turn! So, what do you think about this?"

"You were great!" Yuji shouted.

Aya smiled as she heard that. She seemed like she managed to accomplish what she wanted.

"Your trial is over." The Guardian said.

"What?" Yuji was surprised at the Guardian's sentence.

"Isn't the trial the Duel?" Gus asked, "In that case, it is far from being over."

"You are deemed unworthy of the Flime. While you have a strong power, you are using it inappropriately. Moreover, you are relying on outside help to take down your foes. Prepare to face the wrath of the Flime. Your first sentence is to lose this duel in a painful way."

Right after saying that, the Guardian started clenching his fists, which cause his body to shake, and the entire cave with it. As it shook, cracks started to open all over its body, revealing a glowing red energy inside him, like veins covering a human body. The cracking on its face made it look like it had an angry look. As the earth was shaking too, a small crack started forming at the bottom the Flime Gate, revealing energy akin to the one inside the Stone Guardian, but blue in color. Aya noticed the crack then shouted at Yuji and Gus.

"Guys! Whatever you do, the Flime Gate must not open! Block this crack right now!"

"Got it!" Yuji started running towards the Gate, grabbing Gus with him, before he could ask any question. He then grabbed a rock, roughly the same size as his face and placed it in front of the crack.

"There, it's covered! You should defeat the Guardian before it starts breaking the entire Gate!"

Gus only questioned all that in his head. He knew it was not the time for questions, but he couldn't understand fully what was happening. However, he noticed that Yuji had as many questions as him, but that he decided to act before thinking.

"This guy never change." He thought, "Even though he is very intelligent when he wants to, sometimes he just stops thinking…"

The Stone Guardian still kept all its attention towards Aya. It started to draw its card, while still watching her. As its hand got to the card, the Deck started cracking with the same red energy flowing inside the Guardian, which also started to spread to the card in its hand.

"Draw! I will destroy you! By banishing all the Living Rocks in my Graveyard, I Special Summon Stone Giant Protector!"

A giant statue appeared on the field. It looked a lot bigger than the Golem from before. It wielded a lance which almost scratched the ceiling in its left hand, and a stone shield in its right hand. Blue markings, similar to the red ones the Stone Guardian has, were covering its entire body.  
(Level 7. 0 ATK)

"The Guardian seems to have change a personality." Yuji commented, "I wonder why?"

"As I have three banished Living Rocks, my Giant gains attack equal to its defense!"  
(Stone Giant Protector: 0 - 2800 ATK)  
"Then, I use its effect! Since I have two banished Living Rocks, I can target an Equip Spell Card in my Graveyard and equip it to my Giant. I equip Magnum Shield! You know what that means!"  
(Stone Giant Protector: 2800 - 5600 ATK)

"Then I equip Destruction Markings to it from my hand!"

At this moment, the blue markings on the Giant turned the same red as the Guardian's markings, it also replaced its rock shield by the same red and yellow one the others had before.

"Stone Giant Protector! Crush Tamamo, Land-Burning Fox-Lady!"

The Giant then walked in the cave, with each step causing a small earthquake, shaking the entire room. As it got close to Tamamo, it crushed her with its giant shield, and returned to its initial place.  
(Aya: 2500 - 200 LP)

"At this moment, Stone Giant Protector effect activates, but the effect of Destruction Markings activates at the same moment, so this one resolves first. By its effect, I get to target a monster you control, and destroy it. I target Kuma!"

"I activate the effect of Illusion of the Fox-Lady in my Graveyard! When a Fox-Lady monster I control is targeted by a card effect, I banish it from the Graveyard to negate the activation and destroy the card!"

The Giant's red markings started to glow, only to launch a powerful energy beam towards Kuma, who protected herself with a force field, reflecting the beam towards the equip card and destroying it, restoring the Giant's blue markings.

"Useless. As the current chain resolves, my Giant is allowed to attack once more! But before that, since you destroyed my Destruction Markings, its other effect activates! It allows me to destroy Kuma!"

The same energy beam reappeared on the field, this time being fire from the Guardian's Duel Disk, hitting Kuma who couldn't even react before being destroyed.

"And now, the Giant can have its final attack! Attack Kawaii Foxy! Destroy it!"

"I activate Curse of the Fox-Lady in my Graveyard! Since you're attacking a Beast-Type Normal monster, I can banish it and end the Battle Phase!"

The Giant started to lower its shield, almost hitting the ground, in the hopes of creating a destructive earthquake, only to be denied by a small dark wave. It then returned to its initial pose without attacking.

"How dare you? You have been sentenced to lose this Duel, and you have the nerve of taking another turn? Fine, there is no way you can win this Duel after all! I end my turn! At this moment, Stone Giant Protector returns a banished Living Rock to my Graveyard. As there is less than three banished Living Rocks, its own attack boost disappears, but the one from Magnum Shield still stands!"  
(Stone Giant Protector: 5600 - 2800 ATK)

"For someone who pointed Aya's misplays, he seems to make a lot right now" Yuji commented.

"You noticed something?" Gus asked.

"Yeah. If the Guardian destroyed the Fox with its markings, there was nothing stopping it from attacking and winning the duel. But he was insistent on destroying the most powerful monster on the field by effect."

"And now, even its monster is less powerful! That means… Aya could win!"

"You can do it!" Yuji shouted at Aya, "Defeat that thing!"

"Thanks for your support!" she responded, "During the End Phase, I activate my set Avarice of the Fox-Lady! This card allows me to shuffle three Fox-Lady cards from my Graveyard into the Deck, and draw 1 card. I return Montoya, Kumiho and Kuma to the Extra Deck, and draw! Then my turn starts, so I draw again!"

Aya looked at her draw, and smiled.  
"I got it! First, I activate from my hand Curse of the Fox-Lady! I'm able to do that since the only monster I control is a Beast-Type Normal monster. And if you remember correctly, the effects of all cards on the field are negated!"  
(Stone Giant Protector: 2800 - 0 ATK)

The Stone Giant turned completely black, unable to move, and all its energy disappeared because of the curse. It was now completely useless.

"Then, I activate the Trap Card, Fire of the Fox-Lady! As you're accustomed by now, I can activate it from my hand since the only monster I control is a Beast-Type Normal monster. And now, my Kawaii Foxy will gain 200 ATK for each Fox-Lady card in my graveyard! Let us count together! There is the Flaming Fox-Lady I used as material for my Extra Deck Summons, Fox-Lady's Potential, which you destroyed with your Golem. Illusionary Fox-Lady, who helped me with my comeback. Tamamo, who was destroyed by you just the turn before. Avarice of the Fox-Lady, the card that helped me draw the Fire. And of course, the Curse I just activated. Which means a total of six!"

The cute fox started to act strong, that made him look even cuter. Fire started emitting from its fur, making it actually stronger than it was before, which seemed to make it confident in its moves.  
(Kawaii Foxy: 800 - 2000)

"Go, my cute little fox! Destroy the Giant and end this duel!"

The fox used the fire power granted to him to fly at high speed towards the Giant, going through its chest and hitting the Guardian in the process. Light started emitting from the Giant, and the earth shook even more violently, causing Gus to fall on the ground, with Yuji and Aya barely maintaining their balance. The Guardian started yelling, more cracks were opening on its body.  
"This isn't possible! You have been sentenced! You shouldn't win!"  
(Stone Guardian: 1800 - 0 LP)

Even though the Duel was over, the earth didn't stop shaking, it was only getting more violent. The Guardian glowed red until it couldn't be seen and only spread energy around of it. Aya joined Yuji and Gus, looking panicked.

"Guys, we need to get out of here fast or something really bad might happen!"

"But, the Gate?" Yuji responded.

"We have no time! I'll deal with the consequences later!"

"We really should get out! This thing looks like it's about to explode!" Gus added.

"Right. Let's go!"

As they ran towards the exit, cracks on the Gate started to appear, its resistance started to weaken, and a stream of blue liquid started leaking from the Gate. As Gus turned back to see what was behind him, he stopped and said.

"This thing! That girl was covered with it when she arrived!"

He then started to run back, not caring about the situation.

"Gus!" Yuji reacted, "Don't go back!" He then ran to pick up Gus and get out of this place. Aya stopped too, and watched them.

"These guys..." she thought, "They saved me, now I've got to save them!"  
She caught up to them while yelling.  
"What are you doing? This thing could break at any mom…"

She couldn't even finish her sentence before a huge crack broke the Gate, causing a huge stream of liquid flowing, which landed on the group, engulfing them in blue light. It was the only thing they could see for the next 30 seconds, while being unable to hear or move anything. When the energy faded away, the group was in a cave, with a lower ceiling, but not too high. Light was emitting from a way, which was their only exit. As they regained consciousness, Yuji looked panicked.

"Gus! Are you okay? What got into you?"

"I'm sorry! I saw this thing, I thought it was precious and decided to quickly sample some of it… What happened? Where are we?"

"Don't tell me…" Aya reacted. She looked angry and started yelling. "Gus! Do you realize the mess you've put us in?"

"Don't worry." Yuji answered, "Whatever happened, it looks like the exit is right there."

"What happened isn't the issue right now! We need to find someone!"

Aya ran towards the exit, with Yuji and Gus following her. As they got out, Aya stopped and stared at the place in fear.  
"No…" she said quietly.

As Yuji and Gus approached, they were in shock. They were at the top of a hill. It was the middle of the day, and everything that could be seen on the horizon was a dense jungle, nowhere near the canyon where they were. Gus couldn't help but shout:  
"Where the hell are we?"


End file.
